WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) today announced the U.S. Department of Transportation selected the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to participate in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program. This program will help state, local and tribal governments partner with private sector drone operators and manufacturers to expedite drone integration nationwide.

“Kansas is and always has been a leader in aviation,” said Senator Roberts. “I look forward to seeing the many innovative ways KDOT, along with our state universities, will use unmanned aircraft technologies to help a variety of industries including agriculture.”

The State of Kansas was the first state to name a director for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and has already deployed an unmanned traffic management system.

The program aims to identify security and privacy risks, improve communications between local, state and tribal jurisdictions, balance local and national interests related to drones and accelerate the approval of operations that currently require special authorization.

This program is expected to help the agriculture industry, photographers, emergency management, infrastructure inspections and commerce.

For more information on the UAS Integration Pilot Program, click here.

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